Which Way, L.A.?
Cabbies v. Uber and the Shared Economy
Uber and other Internet companies use mobile phone apps to connect passengers with non-professional drivers. Cheaper than traditional taxis, is that unfair competition?
By Warren Olney • • 28m ListenHundreds of licensed cab drivers descended on LA City Hall last week to protest Uber and other Internet companies using mobile phone apps to connect passengers with part-time, non-professional drivers. They're cheaper than traditional taxis. Are they unfair competition, or are ridesharing, air bnb and other examples of the sharing economy using digital technology to create a "new normal" in the way business gets done? Also, the new state budget is generous to Governor Brown's bullet train, and Santa Barbara is drying up.
Photo courtesy of Uber
In this episode
3 storiesState Lawmakers Approve $156 Billion Budget
Governor Brown has until the end of this month to veto items in the $154 billion state budget passed by the legislature's Democratic majority over the weekend. Mostly, it appears to be a done deal. Chris Mergerian reports from Sacramento for the Los Angeles Times .
Read the story6 minUber, "Big Taxi" and the Sharing Economy
As commercial ridesharing becomes more popular, it's eating into the business of traditional cab companies. Licensed cabbies are being replaced by part-time, unlicensed drivers using their own cars to make extra money.
Read the story15 minWelcome to Santa Barbara, Where Wealth and Drought Collide
California is experiencing a drought so severe that Governor Jerry Brown has issued not one, but two emergency drought proclamations. Some regions are especially vulnerable because of where they get their water and how they use it. One community that's drying up fast is among the most affluent in California.
Read the story8 min
